


Hockey Cock

by icarusian



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Shance, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Getting Together, Ice Skating, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:16:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16406525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusian/pseuds/icarusian
Summary: Lance, with all his hit-or-miss pick-up lines and inviting smiles, warm hands and cold anxieties, is not how Shiro imagined love to find him. Shiro is a romantic at heart; easing into bonds and tightening them along the way until security shows is something that differs greatly from his teenage dream romance with a whirlwind Romeo like Lance, but he’s not one to complain.Keith just might be his chance at a new kind of love all over again.Unfortunately, he has no idea how to go about this.Fortunately, Lance does.





	Hockey Cock

**Author's Note:**

  * For [epiproctan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/epiproctan/gifts).



> so, someone i hold very dear to me was offline for a hot minute and i wanted to write her something fun to read when she got back. which was yesterday! and i'm so happy. so, sam, i really hope you enjoy this. i love you.

“Shiro, give me your phone.”

 

“What? No, I can handle this Lance, I’m a grown—”

 

“—Gay  _disaster_ ,” Lance interrupts, with heavy emphasis on the disaster part. He holds his hand out expectantly; eyebrows raised, hip cocked, head down just enough to make his eyebrows look higher. “My hand feels about four ounces lighter than it should be, man. It needs something in it. Like, stat.”

 

He weighs his options. Most of his pride indignantly reminds him that he’s not  _incompetent_ , he knows how to send a text message, even if it just so happens to be to the hot new hockey player he met three weeks ago and successfully managed to hold at  _least_  six comprehensive, intelligent conversations with. It’s happenstance, Shiro tells himself, that his inability to recreate engaging words via letters and emojis at this particular moment is at all relevant to the message’s recipient. Just an off-day or something. That has to be it.

 

But then his rational brain that almost always has the final say reminds him, with a deep inward cringe, that his last boyfriend broke up with him after just a few days because he was too afraid to toe lines and be romantic. Indulgence may be a two-way street but Shiro is still stuck at the crosswalk, waiting for the little man under the hand to light up and give Shiro the go-ahead.

 

Also, Lance scores phone numbers and fun variety dates all the time. When he’s not on the ice or spending time with Shiro (which overlaps time on the ice), he’s meeting up with this or that activity buddy to do everything from beauty appointments (Allura’s his go-to) to cooking classes (their grocery list nonexistent with everything Hunk sends him home with). That and Lance has also held six-or-so conversations with hot-yet-clumsy hockey player, aka Keith, aka “Hockey Cock”.

 

_ (“I’m sorry, would you prefer ‘Hockey Stick Dick’?” _

_ “Just set his nickname and never let him catch you. I’m not coming to your funeral.” _

_ “Rude, babe.”) _

 

He’s a real heartbreaker and friend-maker.

 

He  _might_  know what he’s doing.

 

So, Shiro relents, but not without locking his arms around Lance’s waist and resting his chin on the warm spot between his kissable neck and bony shoulder to see how Lance will go about this.

 

“I want you to watch everything I’m doing and imitate it once you’ve learned the material well enough. There will be an oral exam at the end,” Lance instructs just before he taps out a quick message. “How’s that?”

 

_ Hey Keith! This is Shiro from the rink. Sorry if I’m going out of line or being rude, but I would love to help coach you a little more thoroughly on the ice. You seem like you need a different method than your current instructor is using. You have a lot of potential in your skating skills, y ou  started out really well, and you’re improving with every practice you attend, but I’d love to see you win the first practice match in a couple weeks! Let me know. _

 

Shiro nods, satisfied enough; it sounds like him, ever-formal and to the point, albeit a little too direct. Lance fires it off and raves about how he has Shiro down to such a science that Keith will never be able to tell the difference, maybe he should be the one dating Keith in place of Shiro since he can be both of them, etc., and Shiro can’t help but give him a soft kiss on the cheek at the way Lance talks about Keith like they’re already together.

 

Lance is secure in his wooing methods (it worked well enough on Shiro one year ago); Shiro is not. Lance, with all his hit-or-miss pick-up lines and inviting smiles, warm hands and cold anxieties, is not how he imagined love to find him. He’s a romantic at heart; easing into bonds and tightening them along the way until security shows is something that differs greatly from his teenage dream romance with a whirlwind Romeo like Lance, but he’s not one to complain.

 

“He responded, let me see,” Shiro urges, making grabby hands at the phone.

 

_ uh, hey shiro. are you sure? if you’re offering, i’d really appreciate it. you seem like a great mentor to the classes you teach, and you and lance look good when you practice your pair skating. _

 

“We do look pretty good,” Shiro quietly admits, gently tightening his hold.

 

_ i’m in. yeah. mon&wed @ 2:30? after the last hockey tot class. _

 

“How did he know we were free those days?” he asks, brows furrowed and gaze thoughtful.

 

“Everyone has access to the coaches’ schedules, Shiro. Remember when Angel asked you out for dinner precisely on Friday at 3:45 PM before your evening practices with me, but after the figure tot class?” Lance breezily replies, already tapping away at a reply to Keith.

 

It’s a reasonable explanation; there are PDFs of every coach’s availability on the rink website, and Keith has been here for three weeks already.

 

Lance has already written and sent off a cheery, _“ It’s a date. Even though Lance will be there too, haha.”_

 

“It’s always a date when I’m there,” Lance purrs, pocketing Shiro’s phone. He’s giddy, turning and wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck to properly mouth at his jawline, smile never fading, instead infecting Shiro in turn.

 

“I’m excited. Thank you, baby,” Shiro breathes, knowing how much Lance preens at recognition. He lets Lance guide him down to the couch, lets himself be straddled and pawed at, but he keeps images of Keith in the back of his mind all the while. He’s sure he’s not the only one.

 

⁂

 

Shiro can’t remember the last time he was excited for a Monday. Sundays typically mark the end of his short leisure period, and Lance even saves a special face mask routine for Mondays to make them more bearable. Today, however, marks his first of many biweekly skate practices with Keith to come and he can feel his heart pounding away at the chance to be close with Keith in a way that their conversations on the sidelines hadn’t allowed.

 

His eager attitude seeps into his lessons and practices enough to create high-energy not needed for the basics of backwards skating. When he and Lance use the spare time between classes to freestyle together, Lance strides next to him, and mutters something about “needing to blow off puppy love steam” before jumping up into a couple axles and swirling away. He can’t help but smile to himself; he knows what Lance’s blessing sounds like.

 

But God does he feel like a puppy with the way he perks up at every new face that enters the ice rink, searching for tousled black hair and fierce, warm eyes.

 

He’s giving a progress report to one of the boys’ mothers, too engrossed in his detailed explanation of the right protective gear and proper application thereof to even notice Keith standing right behind him when the place finally clears of any and all persons under the age of four.

 

His eager energy doesn’t drain when he finally faces Keith; more like, it redistributes itself to color his cheeks a little deeper than the ice, sends his heart thudding against his chest, and tells his brain to register everything as immediate attraction and connection.

 

“Glad you could make it, Keith,” he greets warmly, leaving one hand out in invitation for a casual hug. Keith smiles and takes it, allowing Shiro to pull him to his chest and give a quick squeeze that helps Shiro relieve just a little bit of the giddiness buzzing about inside him.

 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he responds fondly, timidly glancing at the ice rink laid out at their feet.

 

“Hurry it up, I wanna see Keith fall flat on his face!” Lance calls from the other end of the rink where he stretches out and shows off his long legs and lean, flexible figure.

 

“I won’t let you fall on your face, Keith,” Shiro promises, laughing a little and calling for Lance to stop scaring the newbies.

 

“Someone’s gonna fall on his face in a few minutes,” Keith mutters, taking the first step out onto the ice and wobbling a little. Shiro starts forward, arm outstretched to catch Keith before both feet hit the ice, because he just promised not to prove Lance right. What kind of coach would Keith see him as if he let his student faceplant after not five minutes have passed since the start of their first lesson? Shiro doubts Keith would even come back after that and he’d be forced to give up all hope of landing a partner that fills in the pieces he could never expect Lance to.

 

Make no mistake; Shiro loves Lance with everything he has. Lance has gifted him with affection and comfort in spades, held him tightly at night and made every rainy day feel like the middle of summer. Lance is playful and lets Shiro be goofy without any expectations. He kisses him sweetly all the same and never looks at him like something broken despite the scars and missing limbs to show for it.

 

But it’s frustrating, sometimes, to not have someone who can empathize with the losses he’s experienced. Visiting Lance’s family for every holiday under the sun is heartwarming but it tends to deepen the hole left by his parents who passed away not two years prior. His arm, lost in the same incident, just serves as a constant reminder of the lowest point in his skating career.

 

The automatic affection that took off like a rocket was something out of his wildest daydream, something he never thought he would have. Call Shiro a romantic, but he still wants to have that sweet crescendo that comes with falling in love with your best friend.

 

He feels that with Keith. They have the potential energy to collide and become something great. Keith has lost and distrusted and hurt; gained and trusted and healed. It feels natural, being and growing with Keith at this snail’s pace of exploration.

 

But he doesn’t think a busted nose is going to get him near cloud nine anytime soon.

 

His heart stutters as Keith rights himself and stands up straight, gathering enough balance to step fully onto the ice. He looks good, gaining confidence and composing himself to start moving when Shiro steps a little further out. Shiro opens his mouth to start their instruction, but a gloved palm eases into his own and holds on with a soft grip, no hesitation or embarrassment visible on Keith’s face.

 

 _It’s for balance_ , Shiro understands with a twinge of disappointment once his heart stops speaking for his brain. Keith does almost slip a couple times as Shiro guides him to the wall and shows him how to move his feet on the ice, grip tightening and squeezing at intervals. They go around the rink countless times like that, Keith’s hand never leaving Shiro’s as he follows every instruction to the best of his ability. It’s endearing to see Keith slowly turn over and practice  _“patience yields focus”_ , in the way he slows down and paces his steps, lifting when appropriate and pushing off with ease.

 

“Good, Keith. Just like that. I’m going to let go now, but just remember what I taught you.”

 

Keith looks up from the ice, a little helpless at first, but he relaxes once he realizes Shiro is just going to skate in front of him.

 

Without too much difficulty, Keith balances himself just enough to keep up a steady pace, skating after Shiro with a small, triumphant smile. Shiro feels pride well up in him; after just an hour of skating, Keith has already improved by leaps, despite the frustration knitted into his brows.

 

“You’re doing great, Keith!” Shiro laughs, praising Keith just to see that small smile grow wider and happier at his words.

 

“Thanks for holding my hand and supporting me,” he replies, staring into Shiro’s eyes unashamed.

 

“Can I hold your ass to support you?” Lance interjects, skating up to them with a smug smile on his face.

 

“Lance—” Keith starts to say, face instantly guarded with warning, before Lance presses his hand to Keith’s lower back and shoves him face-first into Shiro’s chest.

 

His first instinct is to protect Keith from slipping on the ice, but instead of grabbing the wall for balance, he wraps both arms around Keith and lets himself cushion the fall as the push ultimately sends them both toppling down.

 

It stings. The cold bites into his ass and numbs the back of his head where it thudded against the ice. But as much as he wants to be mad at Lance for his pettiness, he’s a little more focused on how much he wants to keep Keith cradled to chest despite the throbbing ache in his shoulders. Keith pushes up a fraction, just enough to plant his hands on the ice above Shiro’s shoulders and come face to face with him.

 

He swallows, a little unsure of whether or not to move his hands from their place on Keith’s warm waist— unsure if he can stand to continue staring, wonder-struck with his heart on his cheek at just how attractive Keith is. His eyelashes are longer than Lance’s and a deep black, shadowing his entrancing indigo gaze. Shiro can feel his heart filling up, little by little, and it’s only a matter of seconds before he just comes out and screams how much he likes Keith and wants to keep holding his hand, both on and off the ice. But how would Keith react? His face is flushed and stare soft yet holding, but that could just be his initial reaction to, A, the cold, and B, the close proximity. That doesn’t mean that Keith would just accept Shiro’s steadily growing interest without question, and what if—

 

“Shiro?”  


 

“Oh— Keith?”

 

“Are you gonna tell me how you really feel, or do I have to break the tension…?” he smirks, a little too pleased with how easily he gets Shiro stuttering again.

 

“Since you seem so adamant about it, why don’t you go first?” Shiro retaliates, glad to get the upper hand in the situation even though his heart is screaming at him that Keith basically just reciprocated his feelings without him having to say anything.

 

He’s half expecting a dramatic kiss, or maybe even a shy,  _“I like you,”_  but he’s one-hundred percent unprepared for Keith to just smile knowingly and lay out on Shiro fully, hands resting on his shoulders and head tucked just under Shiro’s chin in an incredibly sweet hug.

 

“Lance said you like hugs,” is all he gets by way of explanation.

 

Speak of the devil.

 

“Sorry about pushing you over, Keith, but  _you’re welcome_ ,” Lance calls as he slides over to them, squatting with his butt just inches above the ice. Shiro barely gets the chance to hug him back before Keith is up and off him, offering a steady hand to get them both on their feet again.

 

“I didn’t really need your help falling over, but thanks anyway,” Keith concedes, pushing Lance away teasingly. Something about their familiar banter and sweet gaze doesn’t make sense to Shiro, but Keith surprisingly holds no malice for the guy that just knocked him and Shiro over.

 

_ Wait a minute. _

 

“Did you two—” He can’t  _believe_  them— “Did you guys  _plan_ this?”

 

“Oh nooo, how long did it take you to figure it out, handsome?”

 

“Lance asked me out last week, but I told him I wanted his boyfriend too,” Keith explains, grin smug and cheek flushed where Shiro holds him.

 

“He’s greedy, but you have no idea how excited I was to finally have someone to drool over you with. And, well… I’ve never seen you click with someone like you did with Keith,” Lance admits, softly smiling at them both.

 

He never thought Lance would be his wingman, and score because of it, but he couldn’t be more grateful to walk out of the ice rink when all is said and done with both his hands and his heart full.

**Author's Note:**

> rip me a new one on tumblr @icarosian


End file.
